Trump Plans Russia Statement; NATO Reroutes Ukraine Aid

U.S. President Donald Trump has announced he will make a 'major statement' on Russia on Monday, following escalating Russian attacks on Ukraine and increased frustration with Vladimir Putin. Trump has resumed U.S. weapons shipments to Ukraine through a new arrangement where NATO purchases the arms and supplies them to Ukraine, with NATO covering the costs. The U.S. Senate is considering bipartisan legislation that would impose 500% tariffs on countries buying Russian energy, though Trump would have the authority to waive these penalties. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov recently discussed new proposals for peace at the ASEAN forum, but no breakthroughs were reached. The Kremlin is awaiting Trump's statement, which could signal a shift in U.S. policy or the introduction of new sanctions. Meanwhile, Ukraine continues to face heavy Russian aerial assaults on its infrastructure.